Warm Tea and Company
by fabricated fantasies
Summary: "Why are you up, if you're supposed to be sleeping?" "Keeping you company, of course." /Katie's kind of maybe definitely in love with Eloise, but hello, there's a war on. M&MWP, part two of 'futility'.


**a/n **for mew and mor's weird pairing competition, so credit for the pairings go to them. This will be a collection of fics, posted separately, each concerning one a different couple or character during or after a war, and the effect it has on them.

I actually kind of adore these two now, they're pretty cute together! :)

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_title: _warm tea and company

_summary: _"Why are you up, if you're supposed to be sleeping?" "Keeping you company, of course." /Katie's kind of maybe definitely in love with Eloise, but hello, there's a war on. M&MWP, part two of 'futility'.

_pairing: _Katie Bell/Eloise Midgen

_style: _drabble - 898 words

_notes: _part two of the "futility" series.

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"What're you doing?" Eloise asks as she enters the kitchen, her eyes bleary with sleep and her voice slurred as she props herself up on a stool and leans on the counter near you, and you kind of want to pull her into your arms and hug her tight, she looks so worn out.

"Mixing up some sleeping potions," you reply, tossing two sharp nettles into the cauldron in front of you and beginning to stir. "To deal with the kids' nightmares, you know." You sigh, wishing you could just take a potion yourself, because children aren't the only ones keeping sleepless nights and you're part of the relieving guard once you've finished here.

She reaches out a hard and squeezes yours where it's wrapped around a glass jar, pressing briefly before letting go, and maybe the best thing about the war ending (if it does), is that you'll get to take a break from her. No matter how much you care for her, you need time to get yourself together. She breaks your barriers down with her insecurities and willingness to help, and the way she's blossomed from her timidity in the face of conflict. Maybe it's the loneliness that has invaded your mind since the war began and your friends marched off to die, but you find yourself opening up to her. She makes time for you, and you have always been vulnerable to open affection.

"What're you doing here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be on guard duty?" you ask, your voice rough as you fight to keep the conversation light and not burst into a round of I love you's. _Like_, you remind yourself firmly, because there's no point falling in love with someone who might be dead tomorrow. Cho taught you that.

"Yeah, but Mary noticed that I was practically falling asleep where I stood, so she sent me to bed," she replies with a weary laugh, her fingers toying absently with a strand of mousy brown hair. "You know how she is. I feel bad, though; little Ellie's been keeping her up nights," she sighs, and you remember Mrs Cattermole telling you about her children's nightmares - you don't blame them. They've seen more Death Eaters than half the people at this safe house, and the oldest is only ten, far too young to be on the run, living with strangers to avoid death. Your hand stirs faster, adding ingredients to the mix on autopilot as you try to complete the potion as soon as possible, so everyone can get some rest.

"Why are you up then, if you're supposed to be sleeping?" you ask, pausing for a moment to slide your finger down the parchment the recipe is scribbled on, looking for the next step.

"Keeping you company, of course," she says, her sentence punctuated by a yawn, but she still summons the energy to send a smile at you. You're a little embarrassed at how much that warms you, really, your heart jumping in your chest as you blush, avoiding her gaze. You don't notice her smile dim slightly as you turn away. "I can sleep when the war's over."

"At this point, it seems like it'll never end," you reply dryly, turning the heat down to a simmer, your eyes flicking up to catch a glimpse of her, as subtly as you can. You can't help the smile that curves your lips at the sight of her leaning on the counter, a mug of tea in her hands (where did that come from?) as she watches you. It's enough to make you dream about the future, if you get one, when you're both out of danger and maybe then you can ask her out - but you can't think about that, because it's too easy for either of you to be captured or killed these days, and you refuse to let yourself get more attached than you already are.

"Wow, someone's a downer," she points out. "What happened to 'we'll get by, and then there'll be more cupcakes than you can eat', or were you just storytelling for the kids?" Eloise asks, curving her hands around the mug, and although there's a little bit of worry in her voice, you can't place its origin.

"I love how we refer to the younger kids as the kids," you say, not answering her question. "Aren't we still kids too, technically?"

"No one who spends their days and nights running a safe house and tracking down Death Eater meeting points in their spare time is a kid anymore, Katie," she says, and her voice is so sad that you give into your earlier urges and step away from the cauldron to hug her, ignoring the possibility of the potion burning while it's unattended. You curve into her, trying to send all your belief and love through the gesture. And it is love; you have to admit it to yourself, because you've never felt like this before, not even for Cho. "I love you, Katie. Promise me you'll stay safe?"

"I love you too, El," you respond, wishing that her I love you meant more than it does. You don't promise her, because you'll never lie to her, and if it comes down to saving her or saving yourself, you'll always put her first.

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Please review, and tell me your thoughts!


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